Friday, October 22, 2010

Friday, October 22nd

Our hypothesis from yesterday was that light moves slower in a denser area and faster in a less dense area. We also hypothesized that light is more stretched out when it is fast and it is more condensed when it is slower.

Next, we reviewed the homework from last night. The homework from last night was:

"Construct a prediction of what would happen to a slinky when it moves from a less dense area to a denser area. Then watch the video and say if your hypothesis supports

your prediction."

The video was of a slinky that had 2 parts to it. Half of it was made of a thicker material and the other part was a l

ighter mate

rial. There was a person on both ends of the slinky. First, a person on the right side shook the slinky and the ripple started off very fast, but once it reached the thicker part of the slinky, it slowed down and the ripples became more condensed.

Our prediction was that when the slinky starts off in the less dense area, it should start off straight and then have light, stretched out, ripples. Then when it gets to the denser area, the ripples in the slinky would be more condensed.

The results from the video supported my hypothesis so I may conclude that light travels slower in dense areas and it travels faster in less denser areas. When light travels faster, its waves are more stretched out and when it travels slower, its waves are more condensed.